Chapter 782: The Trials of Makomo and Fengye
Chapter 782: The Trials of Makomo and Fengye
Tamazuki left with Yuichiro.
Fengye had not actually left; he was still standing where he had been before, but he had hidden himself within the cracks of time, unseen by Tamazuki and Yuichiro.
He gazed quietly in the direction Tamazuki had left, a faint golden glow flickering in his eyes, and saw a future that branched out like tree limbs.
"Although the future has changed, are you still in the same place?"
Fengye smiled softly.
The prescription he had given to Tamazuki was indeed real, but it was from several hundred years ago. Over the centuries, some of the ingredients had become extinct.
Therefore, it wasn't as simple as Tamazuki gathering all the ingredients to make the medicine. She would need to use her wisdom to create substitutes for the extinct components.
This wasn't something that could be accomplished quickly.
The ten-year timeframe Fengye had given her wasn't arbitrary. After a brief glance into the future, he determined that it would take Tamazuki roughly ten years to recreate the medicine, hence the deadline.
At this point in time, it had been exactly ten years since Mizuko was turned into a demon and Tanjirou began his apprenticeship.
"Time to find something interesting to do."
Fengye gazed down at the ever-changing futures and turned away with a smile.
...
Poverty-stricken Town.
This was a large village, but the houses looked dilapidated and old, and the people walking in the streets had patches on their clothes to varying degrees.
It was a poor village, and there were many more like it in this era.
In a corner of this town.
A group of children, about ten years old, dirty and disheveled, huddled together. In front of them were a few begging bowls with broken corners, but the bowls were empty, devoid of any food.
This was a chaotic era, and in the impoverished and remote areas, such scenes were commonplace. Some of the orphans had lost their parents, while others had been driven out of their homes because their families couldn't afford to care for them.
Those who were driven out were still slightly better off.
Worse off were those who were directly sold by their parents to human traffickers in exchange for money.
These orphans, lacking survival skills, could only curl up in dark corners, their pleading eyes following passersby, hoping for a scrap of food.
And then, at that moment.
Clatter!
Several clean white buns fell into the begging bowls with broken corners.
The dull eyes of all the children lit up almost instantly, and they scrambled forward, each doing their best to snatch the buns.
The bigger ones quickly claimed their share, while the smaller, skinnier ones were pushed aside, managing to grab only a small corner.
However, there was one exception.
A little girl with dirty, tangled hair and arms noticeably thinner than the others was much more agile than the rest. She grabbed a sizeable piece and huddled in the corner, clutching it tightly as she ate.
In this impoverished town, it was rare for someone to share food with these orphans. Sometimes, they would go days without eating, so many of them had starved to death. Those who survived understood the need to scramble for food.
However, this time, the situation took an unexpected turn.
As soon as the buns were snatched up, more were tossed into the bowls, only to be grabbed by other children.
This continued until everyone had received two large buns. Only then did the person providing the food stop throwing them.
With enough food to fill their bellies, the children finally calmed down. They no longer scrambled chaotically but quietly ate their buns while surreptitiously observing the person who had given them the food.
What puzzled them was that Fengye didn't seem to have any pockets. He wore a simple, loose kimono and wooden clogs, and they couldn't figure out where he had kept the buns. It was as if he had pulled them out of thin air.
Despite their confusion, none of them asked any questions because those details didn't matter. What mattered was the food in their hands, their ticket to survival.
"Th-thank you..."
The girl who had been the first to grab a bun, looking frail but surprisingly agile, managed to eat some of the food and whispered her gratitude to Fengye.
Fengye didn't respond. He stood silently, waiting for everyone to finish eating before speaking in a calm tone, "I have a trial here. Those who can pass it will become my disciples and will have food to eat every day. If anyone wants to give it a try, follow me."
After saying this,
Fengye turned and walked away.
The children in the corner looked at each other, unsure what to make of this offer. Some of them didn't understand what it meant to become a disciple, but they all understood the part about having food to eat every day.
After a brief hesitation, one of them stood up and followed Fengye, then a second, and a third...
And so it began.
"I'll wait for you at the top."
After leaving them with these words, Fengye walked into the mountain and disappeared into the woods.
The children who had followed him looked at the forest before them, hesitated briefly, and then some of them revealed eager gazes and quickly ventured in. The rest followed suit one by one.
"It won't be that easy..."
Makomo, who had been the first to follow Fengye, hesitated instead of entering the forest. She murmured softly to herself.
Since it was a trial, it wouldn't be easy, and there would likely be other dangers lurking in the mountain. Climbing to the summit was definitely not going to be a simple task.
But...
Makomo clenched her small fists.
No matter what, this was an opportunity to survive and a chance to change her circumstances. Even though she knew it would be difficult and dangerous, she couldn't refuse. If she gave up, there was no guarantee she would live, and she might go hungry for ten days or half a month, starving to death at any moment.
Since it was a trial, it wouldn't be simple, but at the same time, since it was a trial, there was a chance to pass it... She believed Fengye's words, and her instincts told her that he wouldn't deceive her.
After everyone else had started climbing, Makomo finally entered the forest.
As soon as she stepped into the forest, she heard a terrified scream, as if someone had seen something terrifying. The scream was filled with fear and trembling.
"Yaaah!"
Immediately after, another scream pierced the air, this time a cry of pain, followed by a loud crash, indicating that someone had been hurt and something heavy had fallen to the ground.
Makomo paused briefly, but this didn't surprise her much, so she took a deep breath to calm herself and continued climbing the mountain.
After passing through a grove of trees...
Bang!
She stumbled over something.
Then, a heavy gust of wind blew over her head.
Without hesitation, Makomo rolled to the side, relying purely on her instincts. She rolled about half a meter away, and then she heard a dull thud as something heavy landed where she had just been.
She turned her head and saw a large tree stump that had fallen right where she had been standing. If she hadn't dodged, she didn't dare to imagine what would have happened to her.
"So... dangerous..."
Her face turned pale, and she glanced up at the summit, biting her lip.
She felt conflicted and considered turning back, but in the end, she gritted her teeth and stood up again, continuing her climb while being more cautious and observant of her surroundings.
At the same time, at the summit.
Fengye sat quietly on a large rock, his gaze piercing through the layers of trees. He saw everything that was happening in the forest, including the injuries and the ones who were scared away.
In just over ten minutes, only three children were still making their way up the mountain.
As time passed, soon there were only two.
Finally.
Only one person remained.
"As expected, it's only her."
Fengye smiled faintly, unsurprised.
Without his interference, Makomo would have soon been noticed by Rindo Sukuna and accepted as his disciple, becoming Tanjiro's senior disciple sister.
Although she would later be killed by the Hand Demon, the fact that Rindo Sukuna acknowledged her as his disciple was proof of her exceptional talent, which far surpassed that of the other children.
"That's enough."
As he watched Makomo, who was about to emerge from the forest, Fengye nodded slightly and then waved his hand. The injured, unconscious, and dead children who were scattered throughout the forest appeared by his side.
Then, with a simple snap of his fingers, the injuries of all the children were mostly healed, and their wounds were wrapped in white bandages.
After taking care of them...
Fengye stood up and looked quietly ahead.
About ten minutes later.
Makomo, with bloodstains and multiple injuries on her body, staggered onto the mountain path, leaning on a tree branch as she struggled to move forward.
Even though her body had reached its limit, and every movement caused searing pain, she persevered and forced herself to take one step after another.
Finally...
She arrived in front of Fengye and stopped.
He looked at her and gave her a gentle, faint smile.
"Well done. You've passed."
"..."
Upon hearing Fengye's words, Makomo, who had been pushing herself beyond her limits, finally lost her balance and fell backward.
However, she didn't hit the ground because Fengye gently caught her.
"Rest now."
Fengye's gentle voice reached her ears.
(End of Chapter)
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